In the age oflarge language models, revisiting Isaac Asimov's I, Robot feels like peering into a prophetic mirror. While the robots of his stories clack around on positronic brains, the underlying anxieties about artificial intelligence and its ethical boundaries hold an eerie prescience. Anyway, I, Robot isn't just a collection of sci-fi short stories; it's a cornerstone of the genre. While the technological specifics might feel dated (slide rules anyone?), the core themes remain startlingly relevant.
The book revolves around Susan Calvin, a brilliant roboticist, and the Three Laws of Robotics, which govern the behavior of robots. Each story presents a seemingly unsolvable problem caused by a malfunctioning robot. Calvin must untangle the complexities of robotic logic and the Three Laws to find a solution, often revealing profound truths about humanity and our relationship with technology.